Let slip the dogs of war: Four-legged robot set to transform life on frontline

It may resemble a headless pantomime horse carrying a fridge, but this extraordinary robot dog is set to transform life on the frontline for combat troops.

British soldiers' heavy body armour and ever-growing list of high tech gadgets mean they now typically carry more than 100lbs of kit into battle, and the Ministry of Defence is spending millions of pounds searching for ways to lighten their loads.

The BigDog has been billed as the most advanced quadruped robot on earth

Now a solution could come in the form of an ungainly-looking but
powerful plodding military robot, which can trot tirelessly along at
4mph carrying 340lb of supplies over rough ground - without the
slightest complaint.

Sophisticated on-board computers are linked to balance sensors and cameras in the mule's 'head', while controlling the hydraulic motors which drive the robot's legs, closely mimicking a four-legged animal.

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It can even keep its balance on slippery ice or mud, and stagger upright when pushed or kicked sideways. In fact it imitates virtually every virtue of the real mule, which has carried armies and their supplies into battle for centuries.

The robot is being developed by the U.S. military, but Britain's Ministry of Defence is watching the project closely with a view to ordering the machines.

Robotics experts have hailed the device as a major advance, although some are concerned about the growing use of robots in war, and the potential ethical implications of equipping them with weapons.

The robot rights itself even when kicked

British commanders in Afghanistan are warning that today's troops are simply too weighed down by kit when on foot patrol.

As well as items which soldiers have always had to carry - weapons, ammunition, food and water - they are now expected to add body armour, night vision goggles, cameras, radios, sat-nav devices, laser range-finders and up to 20lb of batteries.

Those carrying the heaviest weapons can find themselves lugging up to 150lb - in summer temperatures pushing 50 degrees centigrade.

The weight means patrols are limited in range and move more slowly - making them more vulnerable to Taliban attack.

The mule - billed by its designers as 'the most advanced quadruped robot on Earth' - will be able to follow soldiers and carry many of their heaviest items, leaving the troops to concentrate on fighting.

It could also be programmed to carry a load of supplies – or a wounded soldier – to a pre-programmed location.

The Pentagon has already spent £20million developing the machine and hopes to have robots in frontline use in Afghanistan within months.

Watch video of 'BigDog' here...

The current version, known as 'BigDog', weighs 165lb and uses a petrol engine to drive the hydraulic legs, which are designed to absorb energy from one 'foot' hitting the ground and use it to power the next step.

Humans are steadily being replaced in more and more aspects of combat.

Last year the RAF achieved an historic first for British forces when a Reaper unmanned aerial drone fired missiles to kill Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan, while being 'flown' via satellite link by a two-man crew sitting in a military base outside Las Vegas.

Robotics expert Prof Noel Sharkey of Sheffield University - a consultant on the Robot Wars television series - said: ‘BigDog is a very impressive device, although in its current form it can’t right itself if it falls over, and it’s fairly noisy.

‘Military robots are developing very fast, and proving increasingly valuable in tasks like bomb disposal.

‘There are driverless cargo trucks being developed, and the Israelis have a robotic missile which loiters in the air looking for anti-aircraft radar sites to attack.

‘My concern is that this technology will start off being used for military transport, but because these robots are so expensive and valuable they will be fitted with weapons to defend themselves. I’m sure it will happen.

‘In today’s complex military operations there is no way a computer can discriminate between a combatant and a civilian.

‘Using a weapon indiscriminately against civilians is a war crime.'

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Let slip the dogs of war: Four-legged robot set to transform life on frontline